As we continue to wait ***
From Today's Mailbag:
Don't you now think after two-plus months of everyday playing, Orlando Hudson should have been signed? He doesn't appear to be injured at all and is hitting extremely well.
-- Peter G., Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hudson didn't pass a physical and that's why the Nationals didn't sign him. If Hudson is a free agent again, I would not be surprised if the Nationals pursued him.
THERE'S THE DAMN PHYSICAL AGAIN. Orlando Hudson - 63 games, .310 batting average, 25 extra base hits, 41 runs - not passing a physical is bigger news than I've seen reported anywhere. Who didn't pass him? Why? Would he really have signed if he'd been "passed?" How did he heal so freaking quickly?
I'd like to take the "firing coming" leaker and Hudson physical fail person and put them on the same boat out.
8 comments:
Yeah the guy that didn't pass him on the physical is probably not passing on his mental and thus out of a job.
Re the Manny firing thing, it's pretty clear now that one of two things is true. Either Ken Rosenthal's so-called major league sources are really AAAA sources, or he actually did go with a leaked story of a move that was ready to happen, and Stan Kasten cancelled it to spite the leaker and/or the press. (And tell me Kasten would never ever do such a thing.)
It's also becoming clear that while the Nats may have not yet decided if they want Manny as their manager, they definitely do want him as part of the organization beyond this season. As director of their Dominican operations, perhaps? Indeed they may already have a plan in place with Manny as to where he will end up (and he may be on board with it, hence his comments of "I will have a job beyond this year") and the only variable is the timing of when he will be relieved of the managerial duties to assume the new post. The recent leak may have screwed with the timing of that. But you've got to figure that if they just wanted to cast Manny aside a la St. Claire they would go ahead and do it already. I think their ideal solution would be to have Manny stick it out the rest of this season as manager, since that way they don't have to mess with an interim guy and can just hire the man they really want, whoever it is, next fall. The totally unexpected level of losing and the unseemly attention it is drawing is probably forcing their hand though towards a quicker move.
ABM - I really hope that isn't the case. Stan may exude arrogance but I can't believe he'd not make a move he thought was the right move just to spite the media. Lord. Putting something like that ahead of the club would reek.
But I will add that nothing would surprise me anymore.
I do hope Manny is spending a lot of Nationals money at Smith and Wollensky or Peter Lugars or somewhere expensive. If this is his last night as Nationals manager, let him go out in style.
I don't think it's arrogance on the part of Kasten for him to insist on running the club in the way he wants to and not in the way the press or even anonymous leakers in his own organization might want him to. It's not as if he's some elected government official who is beholden to the public who elected him. He's more akin to the head of a motion picture studio or a TV network. He can fairly be judged on the merits of the entertainment product he puts out, but as long as he's acting legally that's all the scrutiny from the press or public that he really needs to respond to.
And as for the issue of leaving Manny twisting in the wind, it's not Kasten who's doing that, it's the media. Kasten's answer to their question about the Rosenthal report was perfectly frank and honest. He never comments on personnel matters. That's a good and fair policy to have, if you ask me. The press should take him at his word, instead of trying to spin his answer into more than it is. And look, SI.com is already starting to spin themselves out of the erroneous report they made the other day. Will Rosenthal follow suit?
Mike....the Nats wouldn't fire Manny in the midst of the Yanks series, right? Not after having an off day to do it.
But like you said, nothing will surprise me.
ugh.
I suspect he's safe for New York - Rosenthal did say it could come Friday. Who the hell knows?
And I still know nothing about this alleged physical that Orlando Hudson allegedly failed. Am I crazy that something like that is bigger news?
Mike -- this story from the LA Times runs down the Dodgers signing of Hudson, including the pretty stunning nature of his injury and his freakish ability to perform at this level despite a totally kluged wrist. http://tinyurl.com/mgqyu3
It doesn't mention the Nationals but does say that other teams asked for his med records and concluded he was too broken to sign.
Sam - thanks. You should be in the news biz! Was that reported anywhere in detail here? I have to believe it was and I just missed it.
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